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Top Betting Tips

Weekend Top Bet Tips: (22nd & 23rd April)

A Manchester Derby in the FA Cup final is on the cards but first, United and City need to get past Brighton and Sheffield United, respectively. We take at these games as well as PSG & Arsenal’s games against the 20th placed teams and more, but before we delve into these games, head to our Cross Sport Specials page to check out some of the special offers we have. You can also read about our new feature; the Pick 11 Jackpot Bet here.

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Arsenal vs. Southampton

Two consecutive draws have seen Arsenal’s grasp on the Premier League trophy loosen up and now, there is a bit of panic over at The Emirates. Twice the Gunners had 2–0 leads in games against Liverpool and West Ham, and twice they succumbed to pressure and gave up their leads. While the point at Anfield was taken in good faith given their struggles on that ground in recent years, their draw against the Hammers hurt a lot, considering they had a chance to extend their lead through a penalty kick which Bukayo Saka missed. Against Southampton, they can get back to winning ways.

There’s a general feeling among football watchers that facing relegation battlers at this season is no easy task and while Arsenal found that out the hard way against West Ham last weekend, 20th place Southampton pose very little threat to the Gunners given their form in recent weeks. The Saints have lost 4 of their last 5 games and haven’t had a win since early March. They’ve done okay by their standard on the road with 3 wins and a draw in their last 10, including a 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in February but their attack which has produced a joint-low 24 Premier League goals has made them easy to deal with. That said, the Gunners will want to be weary of the occasional surprise they can spring as the Saints remain one of only three teams (alongside Newcastle and Man City) they have failed to beat in the league this season, having drawn in October at St. Mary’s (1-1).

While Saka’s performances in recent weeks may have taken a slight dip, Gabriel Jesus’ return from a knee injury that kept him out for 3 months has been a breath of fresh air for the Gunners. The Brazilian forward has scored in each of his last 3 league games (4 goals) and taken his season’s tally to 9 league goals in 19 games. Their one worry, however, would be the continued absence of injured center-back, William Saliba who Arteta admitted was not progressing as quickly as they would have hoped. Arsenal have not kept a clean sheet in each of the 4 games he’s missed but, they know that they have enough firepower to outscore the Saints.

Arsenal Form: L-W-W-D-D

Southampton Form: L-D-L-L-L

Arsenal have never lost a home game in the Premier League to Southampton in 23 meetings (W16, D7), the most one team has hosted another without losing in the competition’s history.

Predictions:

Angers vs. PSG

PSG’s 3-1 victory over 10-men Lens on Saturday was enough to extend their lead in the Ligue 1 from 6 to 8 points. Salis Abdul Samed was shown a straight red card in the 19th minute for his tackle on Hakimi and PSG responded with 3 goals before the break through Kylian Mbappé, Vitinha and Lionel Messi. Frankowski did well to pull one back from the spot on the hour mark but PSG kept their composure and finished the job. This weekend, they travel to bottom of the league Angers whose relegation is as certain as PSG’s league title.

The Parisians have lost none of their last 28 games against Angers, winning 21 and drawing 7. It is their longest unbeaten run against a specific opponent in club history and even worse for the hosts, they’ve lost each of their last 15 games to PSG. An Angers loss in this game (alongside wins for Brest and Nantes, and Auxurre avoiding a loss) would officially confirm their fate as a Ligue 2 team ahead of next season. Though they claimed a surprise victory over Lille 2 weeks ago, we expect them to lose this game by a large margin with Kylian Mbappé probably using the occasion to increase his chances of claiming the Golden Boot.

Angers Form: L-L-D-W-L

PSG Form: W-L-L-W-W-W

Angers 13-game losing streak to PSG in Ligue 1 is the league’s 2nd longest streak against a specific team, just one behind Nantes’ 14-game between 2007 and 2018 also to PSG. In that run, they’ve conceded 39 goals, an average of 3 goals per game.

Predictions:

Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest

Liverpool finally snapped out of their 4 game unbeaten run in the league with a commanding 6-1 win over Leeds United on Monday. Mo Salah and Diogo Jota both grabbed braces while Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez also got on the scoresheet. This Saturday, they welcome a Nottingham Forest side whom they haven’t lost to in a home league game since 1969.

Forest are winless in 10 games (D3, L7) and find themselves in danger of being relegated. Away from home, they’ve won just once in all competitions in 2023 – a 1-0 win over 20th place Southampton in early January. They’ve kept just one clean sheet since mid-January and their attack, which has produced a joint-low 24 goals, been as much of a worry as their defense which has conceded 56 goals – the 3rd worst in the division. While they’ve kept faith in manager, Steve Cooper, it is looking likely to be their undoing, with a return to the Championship looming. Their 1-0 win over the Reds in October would, however, give them a bit of confidence heading to this game as they aim for the lofty goal of achieving a league double over Liverpool for the first time since the 1962/63 season.

Liverpool Form: L-L-D-D-W

Nottingham Forest Form: L-D-L-L-L

The Reds have lost just once in their last 37 league games at Anfield and have also only failed to score once in that period. The last newly promoted side to do the double over them is Blackpool in the 2010/11 season.

Predictions:

Manchester City vs. Sheffield United

Man City saw their 10-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night, but they wouldn’t have minded. With a 3-0 lead from last week, the objective going to Bayern Munich was avoiding a huge loss which would have turned the tie around, and they were never in danger of doing that. With a 3rd semi-final appearance in 3 years, Pep Guardiola’s side are 2 games away from the Champions League final and a win against Sheffield United this weekend could put them in play for a historic treble.

Manchester City have been ruthless against teams from lower divisions in cup games. Since their shocking 1-0 to Wigan in 2018, they’ve won 21 of these domestic cup ties, scoring 78 goals and conceding just 11. However, it is worth noting that while Manchester City have steadily made deep runs in the FA Cup over the years with 6 semi-final appearances in the last 7 seasons including 5 in the last 5 campaigns, they’ve lost 4 of those ties and could become the first team in FA Cup history to suffer 4 consecutive semi-final losses. Man City’s key man will once again be Erling Haaland heading into this tie. The Norwegian forward missed a penalty against Bayern Munich but made up for it with a second half goal to put the game beyond reach. It was his 48th goal of the season and having netted a hat-trick against Burnley in the previous round, he’ll be aiming to take his season tally to a record setting 50-goals.

Sheffield United are enjoying a fine season under Paul Heckingbottom. They’re 2nd in the Championship and one win away from gaining automatic promotion to the Premier League. Heckingbottom has embraced the challenge of facing Man City by explaining how they will face similar opposition next season in the Premier League and so, have to test themselves right away; a positive mentality if there ever was one. A win will see them reach the final for the first time since 1936, having suffered 5 semi-final losses since then. Historically, they’ve enjoyed games against Man City in the FA Cup with 4 wins in 4, including a 2007/08 fourth round victory that finished 2-1. However, the Cityzens are a much different side than those the Blades have faced in the past, and we expect them to comfortably win this.

Manchester City Form: W-W-W-W-D

Sheffield United Form: W-W-L-W-W

Since the 1991/92 season (when Sunderland beat Norwich City), top-flight clubs have won 13 FA Cup semi-final games against teams from lower divisions.

Predictions:

Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid

Atlético Madrid’s poor first half of the season – especially in the Champions League – has made their achievements afterward unappreciated by most people in the football community. They’ve lost just twice in 2023 – a 1-0 loss to Barcelona in the reverse fixture in January and a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey a few weeks later. Since those losses, they’ve turned their season around and have become one of Europe’s most in-form team. Atlético Madrid is the the only team in Europe’s top five leagues yet to lose in the second half of the season and their 6-game winning streak in the league is the joint-best active streak in Europe’s top 5 league alongside Manchester City’s. They have the second-best defense in LaLiga behind Barcelona and have scored just 6 goals fewer than them despite having less talent in attack, and having lost João Félix in January.

Barcelona’s comfortable lead at the top of LaLiga has seen a little bit of complacency creep into the squad, specifically the attack. Despite having the league’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, the Catalan giants have gone 3 games in all competitions without a goal, having registered 44 shots in total. The last time they went 4 games without a goal was in 2008 under Frank Rijkaard and that poor run cost the Dutchman his job and paved the way for a certain Pep Guardiola. While this poor run in front of goal is far from costing Xavi his job, he will be under pressure to wrap up the league up. With the attack misfiring, Barcelona’s defense has had to be relied on in the league. Their 9 league goals conceded is by far the best in any top leagues in the continent, and maintaining that form would be key to Xavi’s game plan.

Barcelona Form: W-W-L-D-D

Atlético Madrid Form: W-W-W-W-W

Barcelona has not lost to Atlético at the Camp Nou since 2006, winning 11 and drawing 5 of the 16 ties in all competitions in that time. They also haven’t completed a league double over Atlético since the 2015/16 season and, having beaten them in the Metropolitano Stadium (1-0), they’ll fancy their chances of ending this run. Both sides have evenly split their last 6 meetings with 2 wins apiece and 2 draws.

Predictions:

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Manchester United

This weekend, Manchester United will aim to emulate their women’s team when they travel to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final tie. Last weekend, the Manchester United Women’s team defeated Brighton’s (3-2) in the FA Cup semi-final to make the final, and it’ll be a huge deal for the men to follow the footsteps of their female counterparts.

Man Utd received some boost during the week with Marcus Rashford, Marcel Sabitzer, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia all returning to training. There are some concerns that their midweek trip to Seville for their Europa League tie could leave them jaded but, with a healthier squad to pick from, their only problem would be in central-defense where World Cup winners, Lisandro Martínez (out for the season) and Raphaël Varane will be missing. The one strength Man Utd will lean on is his midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes. While injuries and suspensions has hindered them from playing more than would have been desired, of the 17 games games they’ve started as a midfield-three, the Red Devils have picked up 15 wins and 2 draws, and with a record equalling 21 FA Cup final appearances on the line, Erik ten Hag is likely to start them.

Brighton are having the best season in their history and are on the verge of finishing in a European spot. Prior to this season, their highest Premier League finish was last season’s 9th under Graham Potter and before that, their highest top flight finish was 13th back in the 1981/82 season. The Seagulls famously handed Erik ten Hag his first competitive loss as Man Utd manager; a 2-1 opening day loss at Old Trafford. Since then, Brighton have been an even better team following the departure of Potter and the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi. Since his arrival, their exceptional build-up play has been the foundation for their attack which has produced more league goals (54) than Man Utd (46). De Zerbi will aim to lead Brighton to their 2nd FA Cup final in club history having last appeared at that stage in 1983.

Brighton & Hove Albion Form: W-D-W-L-W

Manchester United Form: L-W-W-D-W

Manchester United have won each of their 5 FA Cup ties against Brighton, with the 2017/18 quarter-final the most recent. However, the Red Devils have lost both of their last two meetings with them; 4-0 last season and 2-1 this season.

Predictions: